User blog:SpoofDarklion44/my story
I KNOW this doesn't have anything to do with this wiki, I'm sorry, remove it if you want. I am writing a story, Ten Years' Sleep. I'm not done yet, but when I am I'll post it on Warriors Fan Fic Wiki. I'm putting it here so that I can get an opinion before I post it on fan fic. Thx TEN YEARS’ SLEEP Darkpaw and Sunpaw are your average apprentices. They train in LionClan to be warriors, just like everyone else. But when a star-cat called Mistwail appears and sends them into a deep sleep for ten whole years, Darkpaw and Sunpaw have wild adventures in their dream worlds beyond any other. Chapter One: A Star-Cat Darkpaw stretched and yawned as sunlight poured into the LionClan apprentices’ den. She prodded Sunpaw in the side. Sunpaw was her sister, but the two were so different that one could hardly tell. Darkpaw was a dark gray with blue eyes, but Sunpaw was a golden tabby with green eyes. Even their names contradicted each other. Darkpaw and Sunpaw had been different since the day they were born. Sunkit had boldly stepped into the camp for the first time, three tail-lengths ahead, but Darkkit clung to her mother’s side, never leaving her, scarcely more than a shadow against Dovefur’s slightly lighter pelt. “Darkpaw!” Sunpaw complained as she rose from her nest, her golden pelt invisible next to the sunlit bracken that made up the nest. “I was having the best sleep ever! That was the greatest dream…” Sunpaw’s mentor, Crowtail, poked his head inside. “And now you can have the greatest assessment. I do hope you’re ready, Darkpaw, because your sister is quite the formidable opponent…” he went on to tease. “Well, I’m ready!” Darkpaw mewed defiantly. “It’s not as if I’m a mewling kit and Sunpaw is the fiercest warrior ever!” “Not yet, anyway!” Sunpaw shrieked as she launched herself at Darkpaw. When the lithe gray paws began to poke her away, Sunpaw dug the claws on one of her paws into the ground on one side of her sister in order to keep her ground. “You won’t be the fiercest!” a playful squeak sounded outside. “Not you either, Darkpaw! I’m gonna be the best warrior in LionClan!” Darkpaw and Sunpaw exchanged amused glances. Volekit and his brother Eaglekit never stopped competing. When a warrior brought in a huge rabbit, Volekit would pounce on a beetle and pretend it was a fox. If an apprentice earned his warrior name for warning the Clan about a fire, Eaglekit would say that when he was an apprentice, he would fight off a pack of dogs. Their mother, Brackenwhisker, was always chasing them down. Just now, she approached Volekit and told him, “You little troublemaker! Eaglekit is doing much better than you right now! He stayed in the nursery and removed a thorn in my bedding that I had almost rolled on!” “Mama!” Volekit wailed. “Eaglekit isn’t better than me!” “I’m sure, dear,” Brackenwhisker purred, licking her son. “Come back to the nest with me and you can prove it to him.” “Sunpaw! Darkpaw!” Crowtail meowed impatiently. “We’re waiting for you! Surely you know, Darkpaw, that your mentor, Foxscar, is the LionClan deputy and can’t be bothered waiting on a lazy she-cat who can’t do as she’s told!” “I am not lazy!” Darkpaw hissed to Sunpaw, who had started to snicker. “Don’t you laugh, you’re still here with me!” “Yeah, but Crowtail didn’t call me lazy! Just you!” Sunpaw giggled, and bounded out of the den. “Bragger!” Darkpaw called after her, and followed the tip of golden tail outside to begin a training session. “Sunpaw!” Crowtail hissed. “You totally missed that! Of course Darkpaw was going to land on you; you didn’t move so much as a whisker!” Sunpaw got up and shook the dust out of her pelt. “Sorry, Crowtail,” she mewed. “I’m not really into fighting.” Foxscar realized where Sunpaw’s heart lay at that moment. “Crowtail, I hate to tell you this, but it seems Sunpaw would rather be a medicine cat than a warrior. She’s never been a great fighter, but she loves to help out Bumbletail whenever she can.” “Yes, Foxscar,” Sunpaw stammered, “I think that’s exactly it. Thank you… I didn’t know how to say it aloud.” “No!” Crowtail burst out. “I will not let you take my apprentice! I have worked too hard to let go!” “If you want, Crowtail, I could be your apprentice,” Darkpaw offered quickly. “Foxscar is busy and surely wouldn’t mind less to think about.” “You don’t understand!” Crowtail howled. “I know Sunpaw- her every fear, her every heart’s desire…” Crowtail trailed off for a moment. “I don’t want to have to change.” “Crowtail!” Darkpaw gasped. “I know why… I mean, you… I think…. I think you love my sister!” she stammered. Crowtail kept his eyes lowered, burning with anger that Sunpaw would be taken from him. After a long pause, he turned to Darkpaw. “Yes,” he said softly. “You are right. My heart knows only love for Sunpaw.” “If you love her, surely you would let her go where she fits best,” Darkpaw mewed quietly. “Surely you wouldn’t want her to be unhappy.” Crowtail cast his eyes on the ground again. “I… I… I suppose I’d better let you go, Sunpaw. Foxscar, talk to Soaringlion about putting her into Bumbletail’s care for me. I can’t face our leader to talk about it.” His tail between his legs, Crowtail padded out of the Academic Hollow, depressed beyond belief. “Let all the members of LIonClan join me here for a Ceremony of Mentors!” Soaringlion yowled, her voice ringing around LionClan’s haven-stone. Soaringlion began when every cat had gathered. “Foxscar has informed me that Sunpaw is no longer satisfied with warrior training.” Shocked gasps and mews of protest echoed amongst the Clan. Soaringlion had to wait until everyone quieted down to speak. “Sunpaw will be placed in the care of Bumbletail. We all know that he is a good cat, and will train this apprentice to follow in his pawsteps! Crowtail, as Sunpaw’s former mentor, have you anything to tell the Clan of your decision?” Crowtail bit his lip. He hadn’t expected this. He found his voice and began to speak. ”LionClan cats, I have not failed Sunpaw, as you might think.” He glared at Talonfoot and Screamsong, who had been muttering darkly to each other. “Sunpaw simply is not a fighter at heart. I…” His voice cracked here, for medicine cats could not mate. “I love her. I know I can never mate her now, but I love her and want her to be happy.” His grief overwhelmed him, and he sat down quietly, too tangled in thought to talk any more. The haven-stone was utterly silent for a moment. Suddenly, Talonfoot and Screamsong broke the shocked emptiness. “Crowtail knows he’s failed his dear, dear Sunpaw, and so do we!” Talonfoot meowed, outraged. “He can’t train an apprentice! Throw him out of the Clan!” Screamsong added in the high-pitched yowl that gave her her name. The Clan broke up into two, one half yowling that Crowtail was a decent cat and Sunpaw wanted to change. The other argued that Crowtail was unworthy to be in LionClan and they should throw him to the evil TigerClan. “Silence!” Darkpaw yelled unexpectedly, quieting the rivals and causing every gaze, had it been blue, green, or amber, to turn to her in question. Darkpaw was embarrassed, as she hadn’t meant to speak aloud. “I-I mean…Soaringlion, pardon my interruption, but it wasn’t Crowtail or Sunpaw’s fault. “You see,” Darkpaw continued, “Crowtail was a wonderful mentor to Sunpaw. He was as good as Foxscar is to me. But Sunpaw is not supposed to be a warrior.” Every gaze was now confused. “I had a vision during the argument,” she confessed. “It showed me Sunpaw fighting in a battle against TigerClan; a warrior slaughtered her. But then I saw Sunpaw working alongside Bumbletail. She was content and unharmed.” She was clearly relieved to have gotten the truth out. “If that is so,” Soaringlion meowed considerably, “then the Vision Clan of the Sky has approved of Sunpaw being a medicine cat. We must not disobey. This decision is final.” Soaringlion flicked her tail to dismiss the Clan before disappearing into her den. Talonfoot and Screamsong turned inquiringly to the dark apprentice. “The Vision Clan of the Sky sent you a vision? You?” Talonfoot gaped. “Me,” Darkpaw confirmed. “Me.” Darkpaw woke up the next morning, stretched and yawned, and reached out to prod Sunpaw in the side. But Sunpaw wasn’t there. Darkpaw whirled around, looking in every direction. “Sunpaw?” she cried frantically. But she remembered that it was Sunpaw’s first night in with Bumbletail and sighed with relief. Foxscar padded up to her. “Hey, Darkpaw. According to Soaringlion, we have together until Crowtail has recovered. He’s getting to be his normal self again, so let’s make the most of this time, okay?” “Sure, Foxscar.” Darkpaw realized that she had a longing to stay with Foxscar, to let Crowtail pad after Sunpaw and for herself to be with Foxscar. She realized she was in love with her mentor. “Briskly now, Darkpaw!” Foxscar purred. “I want every second to count—it’ll be hard to let Crowtail take my place.” And Darkpaw knew that Foxscar loved her, too. “We’ll begin with a simple review,” Foxscar explained as the two cats headed towards the Academic Hollow. “You’ll attack me, and try to use as many of your moves as you can before I claim the review as done. Then we’ll go over your execution.” Darkpaw paced around her soon-to-be-former mentor, glaring straight into his eyes. That was the simplest move: Don’t let them know if you’re scared. Try to intimidate your opponent. Darkpaw knew that Foxscar would always dodge left. One disadvantage, she knew, to changing mentors, but also a worthy challenge to learn everyone’s strategies. So Darkpaw leaped to the left, landing right on Foxscar, and rolling him away from the center of the hollow. Foxscar got up and rolled at her, but the apprentice immediately went limp so Foxscar would stumble. When her mentor broke away under the weight, Darkpaw bounded up to one side of the hollow and launched herself straight at the panting ginger tom. Foxscar had been focused on getting his breath back and was completely unaware that the dark apprentice had been lurking around above him. Darkpaw landed directly on his back. “Oof!” Foxscar grunted on impact. “That’s enough for now. You must be sneaking extra mice,” he teased, “because you’re heavy!” “Hey!” Darkpaw protested good naturedly. “Still,” she added proudly, “I did a good job there.” “Yes,” her mentor agreed. “When you stared me down, I was a bit nervous, and I know you would never hurt me!” Darkpaw purred. “You remembered my habit of dodging left, so you hit me. You rolled well, and when I rolled you, your weight struck me like a blow when you went limp. You also chose to leap when you knew I was unfocused. Well done!” “Thanks,” Darkpaw beamed. Somehow praise from Foxscar was more rewarding than praise from even Soaringlion. “Hurry now,” Foxscar panted anxiously. “I hear pawsteps- might be Crowtail.” “Oh no!” Darkpaw wailed. “Not yet! It’s too soon!” It was indeed Crowtail. “Too soon for what?” he meowed gruffly. Darkpaw sighed. It was too soon to let go. She knew it was coming, but it seemed a split second that she and Foxscar had been training for. “I don’t want to change either,” she confessed, embarrassed. “You didn’t want to let go of Sunpaw… now I don’t want to let go of Foxscar.” Crowtail turned away. “I have to tell Soaringlion. Somehow I’m not surprised- and I’d be happy to stay away. It’s no offense to you, Darkpaw, but I don’t want the same thing to happen again.” Darkpaw looked at her mentor. It seemed she wouldn’t have to leave him after all, but Crowtail still seemed afraid that he would come to love another cat and something would happen to her. The next morning, Darkpaw woke up early. She was used to Sunpaw not being there, so it startled her when Sunpaw’s fur brushed her leg. She prodded her sister. “Sunpaw, what are you doing here?” Sunpaw woke with a start. “I could ask you the same thing. You’re in the medicine den.” Darkpaw was confused. “No, I’m in the apprentices’ den.” A voice from behind them startled the two. “Darkpaw, your sister sees you in her den. Sunpaw, to Darkpaw you are in her den.” “Who was that?” Sunpaw fretted. “I don’t know,” Darkpaw whimpered. “On the count of three, we’ll both turn around and look. One, two…. Three!” The apprentices whirled around. A star-cat was standing in their den. “Are you from the Vision Clan of the Sky?” Darkpaw gasped in amazement. “Not exactly,” the star-cat huffed. “I am a spirit of this world; merely a wandering thing left to give prophecies I do not understand and deliver messages to others. According to my Master, Lochin, I, Mistwail the Messanger for the High Lochin, am to send the two of you to sleep.” “Sleep?” Sunpaw shrieked. “No! I will not go to sleep right now for anything!” “You have to do this,” Mistwail insisted. “When you wake up, although you did not view the events that happened in the Clan when you slept, you will remember them. You will be in a long slumber for ten years, and yet never grow older. You will live long and know more than anyone!” “Won’t our Clanmates be scared if we suddenly go off to sleep and they can’t wake us up?” Darkpaw inquired. “No,” Mistwail grunted. “You will fade from your den to become- well, ghosts of a sort, living in your dreams yet not in life.” “Okay,” Darkpaw meowed. “Ten years of dreaming, though, wow… does it have to be ten?” “No, Darkpaw!” Sunpaw wailed. “We can’t do this! To be honest, I kind of love Crowtail, and if the Clan keeps changing through the years, he’d be dead when we wake, surely! I can’t let that happen! Besides, he and Foxscar and Bumbletail and Soaringlion and everyone will be frantic if they can’t find us!” “Sunpaw,” Darkpaw protested, “I think we have to. I feel a compelling urge to follow this Mistwail cat.” “Yes,” Mistwail hissed, “you must. The Clan will be able to defeat any enemy that attacked during your slumber, for you will remember their fighting strategies, and what time they strike. I will send you on your way now. So long, and have good dreams, you hear?” Mistwail shoved the apprentices into a strange dark mass. Sunpaw’s wailing rang in the star-cat’s ears, but he paid no heed. He knew it must be done. Chapter Two: Darkpaw Darkpaw fell in a long black hole, endlessly drifting, pointlessly blinded and deafened by the dark silence around her. She felt it would never end, not for the ten years of sleep ahead of her, when suddenly she landed with a thump. She looked at her new surroundings, squinting at the sudden sunlight. She was in the middle of a grassy field. Six black-and-white she-cats and one honey gold she-cat was staring down at her. “I’ve never seen anything like it!” one exclaimed. “Fell from the sky, and such an odd color, too!” “An alien?” the smallest whimpered. “An awful beast from the moon?” Darkpaw struggled to sit up. “No, I’m not,” she protested. “I’m an apprentice of LionClan! I was visited in my dreams by a strange star-cat who sent my sister and me to sleep for ten years- I’m in a dream, right?” “I don’t know. Gorosal, what do you think?” a third inquired, turning to the first cat. “I don’t know, but it must seem like a dream. This idiot’s confused!” Gorosal purred. Darkpaw snarled. “I don’t know who you are, or where I’m supposed to be right now, but you’re not gonna get in the way of my destiny!” Darkpaw bounded out of the seven-cat circle and unsheathed her claws. “Brave,” Gorosal hissed with delight, and unsheathed her claws as well. They were shimmering silver teeth, like those on the legendary lions. “IF you want a fight, kitty, you’ll get one.” Gorosal sprang at the young apprentice. Darkpaw deftly dodged out of the way, turned, and leaped at the black-and-white bully. She sank her claws and teeth into the back of her enemy’s neck and was very satisfied indeed when she felt the body beneath her begin to go limp. “Gorosal!” the youngest cried out. “No one has dared try that! I don’t know who you are, but I don’t like you!” “Cherry, hush!” a different cat hissed. “That’s exactly why this cat should be honored. No one has dared mess with us, and now she’s defeated the strongest of us all! Tell me, stranger,” she added, turning to Darkpaw, “who exactly are you and where do you come from?” Darkpaw launched into a long story- being in LionClan, her mentor Foxscar, her sister Sunpaw, and of course Mistwail’s message, but she didn’t say his name because of a sudden urge not to. “He pushed us into a black mass, and it seemed endless, that I was endlessly falling, and then I landed here,” she finished. Cherry and the others stared at Darkpaw for a moment. Then they burst into cheers. “Oh, young one, we have been waiting for the cat who would do this! Defeat Gorosal, then tell us that story! We didn’t believe it at first; we didn’t think anyone could defeat Gorosal. But you have done it! I’m Harmony, this is Flower, Bumblebee, Ash, Mist, and you know this is Cherry.” Darkpaw instinctively flinched when she heard the name Mist. “I… I…” she stammered, afraid. Mist’s ear twitched. “Well, what’s wrong with me? My size? The fact that my eyecolor is different than theirs? What?” Darkpaw shuddered. “The cat that pushed me into the black mass- his name was-” Darkpaw gulped- “Mistwail.” “Mistwail, eh?” Mist’s ear twitched. “Not a bad name, really. Just a bit of editing to it and it’d be perfect for me!” Harmony gasped. “No, Mist! Remember when we changed our names? We used to be kittypets, but when we stepped out here, everything that was dying was restored to life. We chose our names to honor this power, that of life, and to rename one of us might destroy the harmony we have created.” Darkpaw’s ears perked up. “What’s this about?” she asked, genuinely curious. “Gorosal didn’t have a nature name!” Harmony sighed. “Only a matter of time before you asked. It’s best you know, I suppose. As you heard, we used to be kittypets. I was Haonyx, Flower was Fyruby, Bumblebee was Bitopaz, Ash was Amethysta, Mist was Maemerald, Cherry was Cesapphire, and Gorosal was Gadiamond. “We were happy with our Two-legs, Eliza and Dustin, they were called. They loved us, we loved them, and we felt that nothing could go wrong. But one day…” Harmony broke off with a little cry of terror. “One day Dustin died, suddenly. He was still young- but he died, and it was enough to send Eliza into hard grief. “Eliza didn’t feed us or take care of us, and it felt like she died just after Chris did, even though she lived for a week. After she died, we left their house, but we kept watching it. A new group of Two-legs moved in. We were devastated. “We wandered around, wondering what to do. We came across a field- it wasn’t lovely anymore. Its grass was dead and shriveled, and so was everything else around it. However, the second we put our paws in it, the field came alive again. We decided then and there that we would rename ourselves to show the life we brought to the dead nature. “Eventually, we found out that Tangerine von Clawheart, our oldest enemy, killed our beloved Two-legs.” Harmony finished speaking, and she fell over with exhaustion. “Harmony’s getting a bit old,” Ash explained to a shocked Darkpaw. “She doesn’t have her old energy. It scared her when Mist said that, and she probably felt that the life would leave her if Mist took a different name,” Ash said, glaring at Mist in disgust. “What?” Mist purred, unaware of the huge offense she had just given. “It’s not like I changed it to Mistscale- that’s what I was gonna do,” she admitted, revealing her scaly claws. Suddenly, an orange tom jumped out. “That’s what you are gonna do!” he hissed. “I am Tangerine von Clawheart, and I’ll take care of you black and white and gold idiots once and for—“ he broke off. “Wait, there’s…” He started muttering in a strange language. “zkst,pmu zg;pert zni,n;rnrr zsdj z,ody and zvjrttu- but WHERE IS GOROSAL?” he roared. The black and white cats looked at Harmony. Harmony looked at Darkpaw. Darkpaw looked at the black and white cats. They all looked at Tangerine. Tangerine looked at them. Darkpaw had understood the urgency in Harmony’s eyes- do not tell Tangerine anything real. “Er, Gorosal? You’re looking for Gorosal? Um…” Cherry stammered. “This is Gorosal,” she lied, pointing with her tail to Darkpaw. “She- uh- fell into some gray tar and it dried and she likes it and doesn’t want to take it off.” This gave Harmony enough time to nudge Darkpaw in the direction of a gray tar hole without Simon seeing. “See?” Darkpaw said nervously, rolling in the thick tar. “It feels good, and it looks great, too!” Simon huffed. “Whatever. Gorosal, you challenged me to this, remember?” he said, adding what sounded like a purr but was distorted by evil. “Let’s see what pitiful attacks you can throw at me!” Even though Simon was technically insulting Gorosal, Darkpaw felt insulted. How dare Simon call her- Gorosal- anyone pitiful! She hissed with rage and launched herself at Simon. He deftly dodged out of the way, leaving the apprentice to skid in the dirt. “You’ll have to do better!” he taunted. Darkpaw wasn’t about to give up! Darkpaw turned again and let out a growl that flared into a lion’s roar. She looked at herself in amazement. Her dark pelt was turning ginger; her neck fur was growing into a mane. Her claws grew long, and she had a huge yearning to destroy this undersized thing. She gave another roar and started running over to attack. She was nearly on him- a few pawsteps more and she could swipe- but at the very last second, he vanished in a flash of green. Darkpaw halted, frustrated and confused. “He does that all the time,” Bumblebee meowed apologetically. “It’s his spell; it allows him to go anywhere in a flash. Although,” she added with disgust, “I wish he hadn’t picked that hideous shade of green.” Darkpaw-lion let that sink in. She looked up. “I like being a lion,” she said. “I’d call myself Darklion rather than Darkpaw-lion, but lion is the suffix indicating a leader in LionClan.” “Darklion has a nice ring,” Harmony offered kindly. “You’re a leader here, to us, so use that name while you’re here.” Darkpaw-lion listened to Harmony. The honey-gold she-cat sounded sincere, and the LionClan cat knew she could trust her. “Okay,” she agreed. “Darklion it is. You’re right- it sounds more leaderly than our current leader Soaringlion!” “Soaring lion?” Flower muttered. “Lions don’t soar, no wings…” “It’s just a name,” Darklion laughed. Her warrior name was Soaringhawk; I remember that one of our elders, Dapplingrain, mentioned that.” “Soaringhawk makes more sense,” Harmony agreed. “Hawk’s nice, and Soaring sounds royal, and even Soaringlion sounds okay.” “Yeah,” Darklion admitted grudgingly. “Soaringlion is pretty good. I someday hope to be the real Darklion- I want to rule the Clan! With my sister Sunpaw, of course.” “Sunlion,” Flower mewed. “I like that. I mean, Darklion and Soaringlion are good too, of course! But Sunlion sounds so, so pretty. I can just imagine a golden lion standing with the sun’s beams right on it, glowing and shimmery…” Flower sighed softly. “Tell us more about those fox-and-crow cats,” Mist urged. “You mean Foxscar and Crowtail?” Darklion confirmed. “Yeah. Crowtail loves Sunpaw-“ “Lion,” Flower cut in. “We’ll say Sunlion.” “Okay,” Darklion agreed. “Sunlion. Crowtail loves Sunlion and vice versa. Foxscar loves me and I love him!” “What do they look like?” Harmony said, getting excited. “Well,” Darklion began, “Crowtail is gray, lighter than my pelt but not as light as Mist’s blank dapples.” The others turned to look at Mist. She had light gray dapples on her tail. “Foxscar is a ginger, just darker than Harmony’s fur. He has a mane-like clump of thick fur around his head that’s even darker.” Harmony opened her mouth to respond when she caught a scent. “Darklion!” she gasped. “I caught a whiff of Tangerine von Clawheart!” “Tangerine, that dirty rascal!” Darklion hissed. “He acts an intelligence, but he’s an awful!” “I know,” Harmony whispered back. “It’s awful!” Tangerine didn’t seem to notice the she-cats’ whispering. “All you fools, black, white, gold, and tar-covered alike, I have come back to seek my promise from Gorosal.” All the cats broke out muttering. Darklion waved with her tail for them to be quiet. “What, exactly, did I promise you?” Tangerine howled with delight. “Oh, come on, Gorosal! You have the memory term of a fly! Don’t you remember?” He padded closer. “You promised me that golden cat there. You said she would be mine!” Harmony whimpered and moved back behind Ash. Ash was easily bigger than her, and Tangerine could no longer see her. “Yeah, that scaredy over there. Just hand her over and I’ll be on my way.” Flower, Cherry, Bumblebee, and Mist moved up to Darklion. “Don’t do it! Flower begged. “We’ll help you protect her,” Cherry agreed. “Don’t surrender Harmony!” Bumblebee hissed defensively. “I know Ash would do the same. We will fight to the end for Harmony,” Mist finished. Darklion nodded in recognition. “No, Tangerine,” she yowled. She advanced until she was staring straight down at him. “You will not take Harmony from us. It’s time the truth was revealed!” She roared like a lion again. “Oh, oh no,” Tangerine mewed in genuine fear. “Not the lion again, Gorosal, no, not the lion….” “I AM NOT GOROSAL!” Darklion roared. “I KILLED GOROSAL! I AM FROM LIONCLAN! I AM DARKLION!” Tangerine cowered in pure terror. “Oh, mighty, mighty Darklion, slayer of Gorosal, I will follow you forever. I will completely submit to your commands. I will be yours forever more.” Darklion exchanged glances with the others. Surely this couldn’t be the real Tangerine von Clawheart? He was acting like a total Tangerine von Softie! “Tangerine,” she replied slowly, “why should I trust you? According to Harmony, you and her group have a long history of conflict.” Harmony sighed sadly, as if to prove Darklion’s point, and the others circled protectively around the aging cat. “Hey!” Tangerine protested. “Can’t we forget that? I mean, that was then. This is so now! Really, Darklion, that doesn’t mean anything anymore!” Ash scoffed, “As if, Tangerine! Harmony’s heart is bruised because of all you’ve done! Don’t trust him, Darklion!” “I don’t,” Darklion hissed. “You know not to cross my path. I know my power now. I am truly a dark lion, but yet a dark lion with a good heart. Go away, Tangerine. Don’t come back. You know what will be waiting for you if you try.” And with that, Tangerine was gone. Chapter Three: Sunpaw Sunpaw fell in a long black hole, endlessly drifting, pointlessly blinded and deafened by the dark silence around her. She felt it would never end, not for the ten years of sleep ahead of her, when suddenly she landed with a thump. Sunpaw looked up. She had landed in a deep, deep crevice. She could see the stars of night far above her. They seemed to be dying. Suddenly, air lifted her up out of the deep gorge. She flipped over and found she could rise to her paws in midair. As she went higher up, she could see caves in the rock walls. Caves with awed cats inside of them, watching her ascend into the sky. It seemed no more than a heartbeat before Sunpaw was in the sky. Star cats were all around her, but instead of being strong like the cats of the Vision Clan of the Sky, these cats were fading and weak-looking. “Sunlion,” one called. “Sunlion!” echoed another. “Sunlion, Sunlion!” The cats continued chanting Sunlion until Sunpaw spoke. “I think you have the wrong cat. My name is Sunpaw.” The first cat padded up. “Oh, my precious Sunny, don’t you remember me?” Sunpaw thought the shape of the star-cat’s ears were familiar. She vaguely remembered being called Sunny. Suddenly it came to her. “Dovefur!” Sunpaw cried. “Mother! I have returned to you at last!” There was a bittersweet glow in Dovefur’s eyes. “Oh, my precious Sunny. When I died that horrible battle-filled day, I thought you and your sister would be truly, truly devastated. You were sad, but you quickly gained your strength to be of use to your Clan in the sudden attack from the rouges.” “But why have I not seen you in the Vision Clan of the Sky?” Sunpaw burst out. Dovefur’s eyes hardened with anger, and she glared at something far back over Sunpaw’s shoulder. “Those stupid cats never appreciated our work for LionClan,” she hissed with a sure rage embedded in her voice. “They saw us as half-Clan cats rather than loyal warriors. All the star-cats you see here are half-Clan spirit outcasts.” Sunpaw couldn’t comprehend what her long-lost mother had told her. “So… I’m half-Clan? Me and Darkpaw?” Dovefur nodded. “You never saw a tom come up to you with a fatherly light in his eyes when you caught good prey, or when you received your warrior name, or anything else. Foxscar and Crowtail were good to the two of you, but you never knew a father. “I wandered into the forest alone for the first time as a warrior. I accidentally strayed into a kitty-pet’s territory. We started fighting. I had him pinned when I caught a good look at him. A strong lad, by the looks, and a determined gaze like no other kitty-pet I’d seen. “I fell in love. I visited him constantly, bringing bits of prey in green-leaf when there was plenty to spare. He was a wonderful tom. Darkpaw took looks after me, but you- you inherited my love’s golden pelt.” Sunpaw sat quietly, staring at her paws and examining her fur. This kitty-pet seemed important to her mother. She looked up after what felt like a moon. “What was his name?” she inquired softly. Dovefur sighed affectionately. “You share his curiousity, you and Darkpaw both.” She sat in silence for a while like her kit had, then answered, “Chris. His name was Chris.” “Show me my future before I have to go back,” Sunpaw begged. Dovefur paused. “Well,” she said, “I will tell you one thing. You will be my precious Sunlion.” “Oh, mother,” Sunpaw mewed. “If you don’t mind- can you call me that while I dream?” Dovefur nodded. Suddenly, Sunlion plummeted out of the sky. She was falling far, and nearing the bottom of the gorge. She yowled with fear, but it turned into a bird’s cry. She felt her muzzle growing into a beak and her legs becoming wings. She had transformed into a golden eagle! She called out again. And once again, cats in caves were looking at her in wonder. “My precious daughter!” Dovefur sighed with relief. “I am happy you discovered your hidden talent. I have to go for a little bit, but I will be back with you soon. And take time to know these cave-cats- they will become your Clanmates.” “Yes, mother,” Sunlion cawed. “I will do that.” The golden eagle flew back down to the top cave. She turned back into her cat form. “Hello,” she said. “I am a member of LionClan. I am in training to be a medicine cat.” A dappled cat stepped forward in awe. “Ah, yes,” she whispered. “Yes… I will be Dapplinglion. But it’ll be best to start in the lower caves- those come first.” “Okay,” Sunlion replied. She cawed and became a bird, and went to the lowest of the caves. In it was the Clan as it would be after Soaringlion passed. Foxscar and Crowtail would retire as elders, the kits would become Volepaw and Eaglepaw, and their mother Brackenwhisker would become Brackenstar. In the next cave, Brackenstar retired, leaving a cat descended from Foxscar, a brown, ginger, and white tortoiseshell named Firepatches, to lead and the grandkits of Crowtail, Jaytabby and Shadowfur, to be medicine cat and deputy. So on it went, until Sunlion-eagle returned to Dapplinglion’s cave. “Little warrior, I, Dapplinglion, am indeed a descendant of your beloved, Crowtail. You will return to the Clan under my leadership.” “Will you know me?” Sunlion asked. “Yes,” Dapplinglion purred. “All cats wait here until it is time for them to be born into the Clan’s world.” “So you will remember me?” “Yes.” Dapplinglion purred. “My little one, you have my permission to call me by my warrior name- Dapplingfeathers.” “That’s like a crow,” Sunlion whispered in shock. “You truly are a descendant of Crowtail.” “Indeed,” Dapplingfeathers agreed. “Now, I’d expect your mother to be back and waiting. She told me herself- she has something special… to give you.” “Thank you, Dapplingfeathers,” Sunlion meowed in respect. She promptly became a golden eagle again, and flew back up to where Dovefur sat, waiting as Dapplingfeathers had predicted. “Sunlion, I see you have met Dapplinglion- or, as she allowed you, Dapplingfeathers. She will be a good leader, and she will remember you as she said. Now, I have something very, very special to give to you.” “Yes?” Sunlion asked. “Yes, what is it?” “Patience, Sunlion. Be patient. All will be revealed. If you’re going to be a medicine cat, you have to learn patience to help the cats. It takes time to heal, you know.” A gray tabby stepped up. “Who’re you?” “My name is Fallingleaf. I was a medicine cat before your mentor.” The gray cat nodded in respect. “You, though! You will be the sister of the great leader Darklion, granted nine lives and a lion name, for you will need multiple lives to survive what lies ahead in your Clan.” “Will it be bad?” Sunlion pleaded. “Don’t let it be bad! If… if… if I need many lives it means there’ll be dangerous battles, won’t there? Please, no!” “I cannot prevent it. No one can. Battles are part of Clan life, and each comes at a cost…” Fallingleaf’s voice trailed off, and suddenly Sunlion was alone in the sky. “No! Don’t leave me!” Sunlion wailed into the emptiness. “No!” Dovefur’s voice whispered in her ear, “All things come to an end… even the spirits of cats….” And all the half-Clan spirits were gone. Category:Blog posts